Fantastic book on how to fix problems in fiction, some of which I couldn't even put my finger on before reading this. Yes!!! Just what I needed!

QuickFantastic book on how to fix problems in fiction, some of which I couldn't even put my finger on before reading this. Yes!!! Just what I needed!

Quick summary:- Show, don't tell. If there are long passages of narrative summary, convert most of it to scenes. Don't tell me how the character feels--show it through his or her actions or reactions.- Characterization and exposition: Don't be redundant about this. If you've shown something, no need to also tell it. Boil down the background info as much as possible. Don't have dialog (or internal monologue) that people would never say, just to give information to the reader.- Point of view: pick one and be consistent. Make sure you're only in one person's head per scene.- Dialogue: Remove explanations, then rewrite if necessary. Remove most -ly adverbs (she said adamantly). Stick with invisible verbs "said" and "asked"--don't try to get fancy. Replace speaker attribution with beats or simply eliminate it when possible. Use "he said," not "said he." Short paragraphs. - How it sounds: Read your work out loud, especially the dialogue. If you change the wording when you read it out loud, change the manuscript to match. That will sound more natural. For any stiff dialog, is it really exposition in disguise? Can your dialect stand without the help of novelty spellings?- Interior monologue: Don't use a lot. If you have too much, could some of it be shown in scenes instead? Eliminate thinker attributions whenever possible by turning it into a question, italicizing, making it its own paragraph, or switching to third person. Make sure the narrator's voice is as different from the character's voice as you intend.- Beats: Good for breaking up too much dialogue but too much is too much interruption. Don't go into the details of every step of simple things like washing the dishes. Don't repeat the same beat too much. Try to use the beats to illuminate the character and/or the situation.- Breaking up paragraphs: Break up any paragraphs that take up more than a page. Break up paragraphs in any scenes that drag. Get a good mix of paragraph lengths. Also, remember: most people never get to speak many-sentence rants without interruption. - Repetition: For each paragraph, what are you trying to do? Have you done it more than one way in that paragraph? If so, eliminate the weakest way(s) and see if it reads stronger. Same for the chapter level. Also, don't repeat plot devices, stylistic effects, or unusual words.- Proportion: If you spend a lot of time on something, make sure it's important. If it's not, cut or boil down. Don't go overboard on details unless they're crucial to the story. Consider removing flashbacks or rewriting them in the present. - Sophistication: Watch for constructs like, "Pulling off her gloves, she turned to face him" or "As she pulled off her gloves, she turned to face him." Both sound amateur. Also, look for -ly adverbs. Rewrite with a stronger verb instead if possible. If all sentences are short, combine some with commas. Don't use a lot of italics. Consider reducing or eliminating these distracting things: flower phrases, metaphors, profanity.- Voice: To develop your voice, highlight the sentences or phrases that feel really good. Then read them all in a row and savor them. This is your voice at its best. Then highlight all the parts that don't feel good, and read them all in a row. Look for patterns. What makes them different from the good parts? "Is the writing flat? Strained? Awkward? Obvious? Pedestrian? Forced? Vague or abstract?" Keep doing this with your work, and your voice will develop over time....more

This is the story of Remy, a super cynical, prickly 18-year-old who's waiting for the summer to end so she can go to college, and Dexter, a fun, goofyThis is the story of Remy, a super cynical, prickly 18-year-old who's waiting for the summer to end so she can go to college, and Dexter, a fun, goofy stalker guy who won't give up on Remy and would be considered creepy if this wasn't basically a romance novel. People learn and grow--that's certainly good. But I don't know, something was missing here for me....more

Although a fair amount of bad stuff happens and some of the characters are pretty unlikable, I enjoyed this book. There were just enough twists to makAlthough a fair amount of bad stuff happens and some of the characters are pretty unlikable, I enjoyed this book. There were just enough twists to make it interesting. It's one of those books that I keep expecting to get back to and then am bummed to remember I finished it....more

This book was basically Bridget Jones meets You've Got Mail. With baking. Fun fun fun! It's hard to find a fluffy book that's not actually stupid. ThiThis book was basically Bridget Jones meets You've Got Mail. With baking. Fun fun fun! It's hard to find a fluffy book that's not actually stupid. This one was just right....more

Someone told me I should take Philosophy 101, because everything I'm struggling with is basically contained in there. I've been having a lot of troublSomeone told me I should take Philosophy 101, because everything I'm struggling with is basically contained in there. I've been having a lot of trouble reading anything serious lately, so I got this book in hopes that it would provide a gentle, light-hearted introduction to basic philosophy. It made me laugh a few times, but I don't really feel like I learned much. Maybe it was a little too gentle and light-hearted? *shrug*...more

This was a really fun book. It's the story of Anna and Sasha winning a big client and building a fantastic ad campaign that changes everything. ThereThis was a really fun book. It's the story of Anna and Sasha winning a big client and building a fantastic ad campaign that changes everything. There was a lot of self-help stuff in here, almost like a morality play, but it was all stuff I'm already working on anyway, so I just saw that as a bonus. I really enjoyed seeing Anna progress and grow into herself in these areas. (view spoiler)[And when she and Sasha opened their own ad agency! Yes!!! Woohoo! (hide spoiler)]

The only thing I didn't really like was the way the romance part played out. I found it pretty implausible that someone who scorned romance novels up until a few days earlier would suddenly start re-enacting romance novel plots in her own life. (view spoiler)[Especially, "meet me in a year at X Restaurant"??? Seriously? That's just stupid! Even if she could see that she wasn't ready for a relationship yet, it seemed like Lincoln was in the same place. Why couldn't they talk and grow together? That whole thing made no sense to me. And then when she shows up in New York with the stupid picnic idea… just shaking my head. Good for Lincoln for saying, "Why didn't you just call me?" I was wondering that myself! (hide spoiler)] That part was pretty stupid, but I still enjoyed the book overall.["br"]>["br"]>...more

This is the story of Olivia, her mother, and her son--all bipolar--plus her daughter, Carrie; her friends, Pam and Kandy; and the sisters and aunt sheThis is the story of Olivia, her mother, and her son--all bipolar--plus her daughter, Carrie; her friends, Pam and Kandy; and the sisters and aunt she discovers along the way. It's a harrowing tale: her mother often disappears for days at a time, spends (or gives away) all the money so that there are no groceries and the utilities get shut off, and is hopelessly irresponsible as a parent. Meanwhile, Olivia starts getting rebellious and doing reckless things. Her mother doesn't notice at first, and then she boards up the windows and locks Olivia in the house, which is incredibly dangerous considering that the mother could wig out and disappear at any time for who-knows-how-long.

(view spoiler)[Meanwhile, the mother has spent Olivia's entire childhood talking about Olivia's dead sisters (twins)--and feeding their ghosts at the table every evening, and keeping their nursery pristine and untouched. But then Olivia discovers twin girls who she senses really are her sisters, but they're real and alive and about her age. She ends up running off to New York City with her boyfriend and tracking down the sisters, who it turns out really are her half-sisters, and their mother, who is Olivia's aunt. (Olivia's mom seduced her sister's husband way back when--thus the dead twins and Olivia.)

Intertwined with all this, Olivia is back in her home town with her kids, but her son disappears, so she goes all over town trying to find him, accompanied by Kandy, from whom she stole her boyfriend all those years ago. How they ever got to be friends again is never explained, but Kandy is a very nice, compassionate, level-headed mom-type now, so it's really great that she can help everyone try to find the lost boy.

Happy ending, but a lot of hard stuff to get there. But overall, I enjoyed the book. (hide spoiler)]["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

This is the story of Libby, who gets rescued by her aunt Jean after two years of living with her nigh-intolerable mother, following Libby's husband'sThis is the story of Libby, who gets rescued by her aunt Jean after two years of living with her nigh-intolerable mother, following Libby's husband's sudden death in a car wreck. This book was a simple pleasure for me. Even though the lessons were kind of obvious and almost all of the answers/resolutions to the story were pretty clear from very early on, I really enjoyed it. I'll miss it; I wish there were more....more

Normally, I do not read Christian fiction--I find it too treacly. But I found the premise of this book so intriguing, I decided to read it anyway.

BasNormally, I do not read Christian fiction--I find it too treacly. But I found the premise of this book so intriguing, I decided to read it anyway.

Basically, the premise of this book is that a woman named Perla arrives in town with a little girl and no husband (gasp!). A very bad drought comes along right then, and the preacher and some townfolk blame it on Perla, >>>since she's a harlot and all<<<. To make matters worse, Perla has a strange ability to make food stretch to feed everyone, just like Jesus with the loaves and the fishes. So of course she must be a witch!

The book is set in the 1950s, but it felt more like the 1850s to me. I have no idea if people were this backwards and wacko as recently as the 1950s or not; I guess some were, but it seemed pretty extreme to me.

Despite all the nonsense and some very heavy-handed God stuff, I enjoyed this book. It was refreshingly well written, especially considering the genre, and several of the characters were complex, likable people. I was very happy for them all by the end....more

Basically, the premise is that if you're experiencing insufficient intimacy, you need to focus on yourself and be more yourself. It's only as you bring your fullest self to the relationship that intimacy can be created. That is a powerful insight, especially when a lot of people (myself included) seem to go about it the opposite way: if there's too little intimacy, we focus even more on the other person, not ourselves.

It seemed like the book just kept saying that same thing over and over in different ways, though. ...more

Four women in the neighborhood see each other through hard times and man troubles. Lots of potential here, but the dialog was really bad, the characteFour women in the neighborhood see each other through hard times and man troubles. Lots of potential here, but the dialog was really bad, the characters were too much caricatures, and a lot of what happened was unconvincing. (view spoiler)[One of the big conflicts was between Gerri and Phil over an affair he had years before. Otherwise, this couple was super close, worked together very smoothly, and servde as each other's best friends all the time. Intellectually, I can see how that makes the betrayal even worse, but as it played out, I just found the whole thing tiresome and overblown. I was glad when they decided to get back together, but I guess I didn't like either of these characters--or any of them, really--well enough to care that much one way or the other. (hide spoiler)]...more

This is the story of Laurel, who sees a ghost and discovers that her daughter's close friend has drowned in her pool. She enlists her sister's help anThis is the story of Laurel, who sees a ghost and discovers that her daughter's close friend has drowned in her pool. She enlists her sister's help and spends the rest of the book trying to find out what happened and make sure her daughter is safe. Along the way, she has to wake up to some of the truths of her own life and face reality.

This was a gripping book, and after I finished it, I kept wanting it to resume (and then remembering it was over). I didn't quite like it as much as some of the other books by this author, but I can't quite put my finger on why. Maybe because so many of the characters were so obnoxious, and the rich/poor stuff had kind of a preachy tone. I don't know....more

**spoiler alert** This is the story of George and Irene, whose mothers tried to set up to be soul mates for each other from birth. Apparently it worke**spoiler alert** This is the story of George and Irene, whose mothers tried to set up to be soul mates for each other from birth. Apparently it worked, because the first time they meet as adults, they fall madly in love. Odd hijinks ensue before they can be together, of course. The whole story is kind of surreal, but I mostly liked the characters and hoped they'd end up happy. The ending was actually pretty beautiful.

I'm trying to figure out why this didn't resonate with me more… Maybe I really don't believe in soul mates? Maybe everyone spends so much of the book entrenched in denial and resistance, it just frustrated me?

I definitely didn't see anything particularly special about George, for Irene to be so mad about him. I realize he was crafted for her, not for me, but still, I don't know. I guess that was what was lacking for me.

P.S. How do you tell Toledo from the night sky? (view spoiler)[Toledo is alive and always moving and changing. The stars stay the same all the time. (hide spoiler)]["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

This was kind of a silly romance novel about Marion, who moves to Sherwood Forest to overcome her abusive childhood and try to find out her dad's secrThis was kind of a silly romance novel about Marion, who moves to Sherwood Forest to overcome her abusive childhood and try to find out her dad's secret. Marion does a lot of growing in this book, which I like. But I don't know, the whole thing somehow seemed too overblown. (view spoiler)[Also, I was sure her dad's secret was going to be that he and the real Henry were gay lovers. But no. He saw his girlfriend try to seduce his best friend, get rejected, and then accidentally kill him, and then he didn't tell anybody because she claimed to be pregnant with his child. (hide spoiler)]...more

Lots of adventures and good stories in here, and a few good laughs. I'm glad the author got to do all these things and learned to be happy being on heLots of adventures and good stories in here, and a few good laughs. I'm glad the author got to do all these things and learned to be happy being on her own. Unfortunately, the whole thing kind of made being single in your late 30s seem really pathetic and depressing (even during the times when it's fun). I sure didn't need that.

Notes:p. 242Orthodox Jewish way of determining whether someone would be a good match:"…from the first date, you're focusing, apparently, on only three questions:Do we want the same things out of life?Do we bring out the best in each other?Do we find each other attractive?That's it. In that order." (emphasis the author's)...more

**spoiler alert** Charles Reid goes off to war (WWI) as a medic. When he starts a pen pal chess game with Sasha Dench, Sasha's daughter Hensley reads**spoiler alert** Charles Reid goes off to war (WWI) as a medic. When he starts a pen pal chess game with Sasha Dench, Sasha's daughter Hensley reads the letters and begins her own correspondence with him. From opposite sides of the world, they fall in love and start to rely on each other to make life feel good.

When Charles loses his leg and Hensley finds out she's pregnant, everything takes on a new urgency. They have to find each other before Hensley is married off to the jerk who seduced her, but he's convinced she won't want him since he lost his leg, and she's convinced he won't want her because she's pregnant with another man's child. I could not put this down until I was convinced that everything would be ok.

This book tells the story of a love so ideal, it's almost unrealistic. But it's something I want so much, reading about it made me cry. Amazingly, it wasn't even a romance-novel ending, where the guy swoops in and saves the girl and makes everything ok, although he wanted to and totally could have. Instead, Hensley insists on keeping her independence and supporting herself and loving each other by choice. It's a rare book that shows love between equals, where both people are strong and growing and self-supporting AND adore each other to the ends of the earth. I really miss this book now that it's over--I wanted to stay in it forever....more

I originally read this author's series about a circle of quilters. I liked those, and then she started adding flashbacks to explain some of the quilteI originally read this author's series about a circle of quilters. I liked those, and then she started adding flashbacks to explain some of the quilters' family history. The historical parts soon made the modern parts seem really boring by comparison, so I'm really happy to see her writing whole historical novels.

I really enjoyed this book, although it made me sad how just a few bad decisions can totally change the course of a person's life and basically ruin it. (view spoiler)[I'm not just talking about Kate marrying William, but also her father publishing that pamphlet that made all the political people hate him. (hide spoiler)]

I was actually surprised not to be more upset when President Lincoln was shot. I cried for the first two casualties of the war, and I really liked President Lincoln. I don't know if it was because I knew it was coming or what, but I was surprisingly unmoved by that part.

Anyway, this was an interesting story about a real woman I had never heard of, and I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes view of 19th Century politics. ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

Usually, if I see that something is published by Bethany House, I put it back immediately. But this book seemed so appealing otherwise, I flipped throUsually, if I see that something is published by Bethany House, I put it back immediately. But this book seemed so appealing otherwise, I flipped through it to see if there was a whole lot of God/Jesus stuff in there, and I got completely hooked on a random page, so I decided to get it and ended up devouring it in one day.

This is the story of Mallory, an assistant to some Congress critter, who falls in love with Daniel (some kind of scientist) and his three-year-old son, Nick. When Daniel is offered a job in Middle of Nowhere, Texas, only a few weeks after they meet, he proposes and Mallory leaves everything behind to go with him and Nick. Then it's battles with scorpions, mice, roaches, and a creepy mystery surrounding Daniel's employer.

Every now and then, Mallory kind of goes off on a soliloquy about how beautiful the world is and what her place may be in it, but it's not annoyingly God-centered, more philosophical. I did find it a bit unrealistic that she would adore Nick so much so quickly, that he would feel the same about her, and that he would magically be so well-behaved. But it was a nice story anyway, and I'm glad (view spoiler)[nobody got killed or anything in the end. It was actually kind of surprising that the big scandal was about a pork-barrel bill in Congress. I was sure somebody was going to be murdered, or the bodies of the boss's wife and son found somewhere. Or, actually, with all the fuss made about how much Daniel looked like the boss's son, I thought he would turn out to be the missing boy all grown up. (He never was found.) But no, just the boss's son being a big sleaze-bag politician. (hide spoiler)]["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

This was an intriguing and surprisingly fun book. The story is told entirely through documents: the memos, letters, and legal proceedings of the divorThis was an intriguing and surprisingly fun book. The story is told entirely through documents: the memos, letters, and legal proceedings of the divorce case, plus the main character/lawyer's emails back and forth with her best friend and a few other side artifacts. This could easily have been a painful book to read, but it wasn't. I really enjoyed seeing all the behind-the-scenes discussions between the lawyers (wife's side only) about what approach to take in the negotiations and wranglings. Also, conveniently, the client shared a lot of the inside dirt, which was recorded in her initial interview and later in memos to the senior lawyer who was overseeing the case, since the main lawyer was really a criminal lawyer with no experience in family law. (She didn't want the case, but she was the only person available to do the intake interview, and the client imprinted on her and insisted on having her.) There's nothing like getting the juicy background information and several different insider perspectives. (view spoiler)[Plus, happy ending! They arrived at a very reasonable settlement for all involved and the husband stopped acting like such a jerk to his (ex-)wife and daughter. (hide spoiler)]

Teenage Harper joins a volunteer program to rebuild houses in Tennessee because she wants to get away from her life--he dad and beloved stepmom are diTeenage Harper joins a volunteer program to rebuild houses in Tennessee because she wants to get away from her life--he dad and beloved stepmom are divorcing, and as a result, she's losing her best friend/sister, too. Meanwhile, her other best friend/boyfriend uses her and everything sucks. Building a house in Tennessee is a nice change of scenery, and she learns and grows and makes some summer friends.

**spoiler alert** This is the story of Jenn and Greg (married); Greg's daughter Emma, who Jenn raised with Greg for pretty much her whole life; and Na**spoiler alert** This is the story of Jenn and Greg (married); Greg's daughter Emma, who Jenn raised with Greg for pretty much her whole life; and Nate, Emma's boyfriend. An attraction develops between Jenn and Nate, but I never imagined they'd act on it. I pretty much spent the whole book going, "what? He did what? She did what??? What?!?!"

I just could not believe the horrible things these two people did, and on top of that, I can't believe how brazen they were about it! I don't understand most of the things Jenn did at all. Stealing the newspaper? Stealing the bracelet? Anal sex with slut boy, her basically-daugther's boyfriend? I never did come to any understanding of her actions or motivations at all. Ok, she was attracted to the guy and she's discontent with the way Greg and Emma treat her, but really???

And then, the ending: they're going to the bar she lied about having gotten a sandwich at a few nights ago, when it's really out of business. What will she do now??? Somehow, I get the feeling that she'll weasel her way out of this, too, and everything will be just dandy even though her whole life is now built on a lie. I can't comprehend how anyone could stand to live with that....more

This book was recommended to me by a friend, but so far I'm finding it pretty tedious.

…

The book did drag in the beginning, but it picked up as it wentThis book was recommended to me by a friend, but so far I'm finding it pretty tedious.

…

The book did drag in the beginning, but it picked up as it went on, and there was a lot of really great stuff in it. This may end up being a life-changer.

Notesp. 40 "How much a man does or doesn't love you is also irrelevant."p. 41 "How well you do at trying harder, loving more, and doling out ultimatums is similarly immaterial."

If it's not working, none of that matters. And if you're not happy, it's not working.

I can't even begin to calculate how much time I've wasted thinking "Oh, but he loves me so much--how could I give that up?" or "Doesn't he love me any more?" Either way, who cares? If it sucks, it sucks. Move on, self.

p. 43"Self-promise 3: I choose to be in relationships only with men who are honest, 100 percent responsible for themselves, and committed to being the best they can be--no exceptions."

Yes!!!

p. 44 "Beware! Blips can keep you tied into a relationship with the wrong person for a very long time. Do not wait around for temporary highs to turn into lasting change."

p. 49"Your partner looks lovingly at you and says, 'I am so grateful that you're in my life. I love you so much for who you are, and I especially appreciate how you help me be an even better me.'"--much better than "you're my only love, my everything, and I would die without you."

p. 51 "Lie: He completes me." Complete yourself. Let the guy enhance you. You can never be happy until you're a whole person yourself.

p. 63"I vow to always be honest with ME, to never hide from the truth, no matter what. I commit to unwavering, uncompromising truth about myself and with myself."

p. 67"1. Do I love ME, all of ME, completely, all the time? (I'm not talking about self-esteem or liking yourself, but deep, unwavering love for yourself.)

"3. How do my actions and beliefs support my answers? Or do they contradict them? (No bull, is what you're doing actually making you happy?)"

p. 70

"Loving yourself completely is the unwavering commitment to and active expression of:1. knowing yourself;2. accepting yourself;3. living as the fullest expression of our real ME in all parts of your life; and4. attracting and allowing into your life only people and situations that support all of the above."

Parts of this:"Be your own best friend.""See your magnificence and beauty.""Love all of yourself, even the not-so-pretty parts.""Make decisions guided by self-love.""Change your perspective on beliefs that counter self-love.""Never apologize for who you are.""Make unconditional love a requirement for all relationships." "Give and receive."

p. 78"The Happiness Gauge"One way to measure how well we are doing on our journey to love ME is to take pause, reflect on our relationships or life situations, and ask, 'Am I happy?' This question works in large part because it's about no one else but you and how happy you feel. Most of us can easily tell if we're happy or not."

p. 125Signs of a half-relationship:"- Are there feelings, parts of your life, or topics that you don't share with your partner?- Are there aspects of yourself that he just doesn't get, no matter how thorough the explanation?- Does he dismiss what you have to say, or act like he just doesn't care?- Would he rather turn on the TV or change the subject than have a meaningful conversation?- Do you sometimes feel lonely, even when he's around?- Do you wish you could connect with a deeper part of your partner, and are you unable to find the right words?- Is there a lack of intimacy, emotional or physical, between the two of you?"

p. 145"Within two months of our dating relationship, I told him, 'I'm just not ready for a relationship.' … His ingenious and sincere reply was, 'Who said anything about a relationship? We can just spend time getting to know each other and have fun.'"

p. 166 warning signs of unhealthy attraction: looking for someone to complete you or cover up your wounds, refusing to listen when all of your friends tell you it's not good, rushing into things.

p. 168antidotes--tell the truth about:"Why do you want a HE and a WE in your life?What kind of HE and WE do you currently have? Does what you have fit what you want?If it fits, great. If what you have doesn't fit, what line of bull are you feeding yourself to make it okay to stay? In what ways are you settling?"

p. 173"Shortcut 2: Authentic partnerships take more than love."

Think back to old relationships. "Chances are, the union ended not because you didn't love the man but because of personal differences, illusions, hole stuffing, dishonesty, unhealthy patterns, or a lack of self-awareness, intimacy, trust, or respect. If love were all a person needed to have a great marriage, there'd be far fewer divorces." Need respect, trust, support, friendship, connection, truth.

p. 177"Shortcut 3: Love alone is never a reason to stay."Love is not enough to make it work, so it's not enough to stay, either. p. 178 "If we wait for the love to disappear before deciding a relationship has run its course, we will cling forever. Love doesn't go away… One of the biggest fallacies in our society is that people fall out of love. Love changes and shifts, sure, but people fall out of respect, intimacy, and trust. They don't fall out of love." (emphasis the author's)

p. 181 "Shortcut 4: Ending a relationship is not failure; failure is trying to keep a dead one alive."

Life is like a sidewalk. Some people walk with us for a short time and then veer off on their own paths. Some walk with us for a long time. Regardless, we always walk our own path and they always walk theirs. The two just line up sometimes. Freaking out and insisting that relationships be forever just adds pressure and messes everything up. Each relationship is a success if it teaches you something you need to know.

p. 183 "So they made a commitment to stay together for as long as it was good for both of them. If at any time one was unhappy, that person would come forth before deciding to just end the partnership. They also agreed that, even if their relationship didn't work out, they would both be okay. Sad, but okay."

p. 196Questions for taking the relationship deeper:"What are your intentions for your life? [see if they match with yours]What are your commitments to yourself? [once you know these things, you can count on them]What does the commitment we're making to each other (that is, marriage, moving in together, and so on) mean to you? How is this different from what we have now? [find out his expectations and why he's doing this]"...more

This is the story of two sisters: Olivia, who has synesthesia and is romantic, dreamy, and idealistic; and Jazz, who is abrasive, judgmental, and perpThis is the story of two sisters: Olivia, who has synesthesia and is romantic, dreamy, and idealistic; and Jazz, who is abrasive, judgmental, and perpetually pissed of. I liked Olivia and wanted her to get what she wanted, but she was kind of too much at times. Jazz was her opposite in most ways and very difficult to like. Actually, it seemed like everyone in this novel was a little too extreme. Nobody could just be a little odd or closed-off or spacey--they had to take it all the way.

I'm actually surprised I didn't like this more--the writing was pretty, and the stuff about synesthesia was interesting. I guess I just got tired of how stubborn everyone was.

(view spoiler)[I also didn't like the ending. I understand that the point is that we get to decide what we believe about everything, so that's what the characters did, and that's why we don't get to know whether Hobbs calls Olivia or not--it's up to us. Although I think that's a good message, the way it was executed seemed heavy-handed and annoying. And unrealistic! No way I would burn my mother's last letter without reading it--no frickin' way, that would not happen. I'd have to know. And I guess that's my problem with this whole thing--although I love hope and believing in good, I value truth even more. Even if something hurts, I think it's better to know the truth and work with reality. That's where I think the people in this book went completely wrong. (hide spoiler)]["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

Nonny gets caught in the middle between her two complicated families: the three sisters who adopted her, and the white trash clan that provided her DNNonny gets caught in the middle between her two complicated families: the three sisters who adopted her, and the white trash clan that provided her DNA. She's also caught between her soon-to-be-ex-husband and the lifelong friend who could be so much more. Basically, she needs to make up her mind, figure out what she wants, and go after it, instead of just going wherever life pushes her.

One thing that kind of got on my nerves about this book is how hard it seemed to be trying to be the quirkiest thing ever, like, "Hey reader! Look how quirky this is! And this! We're quirky to the max, so quirky that this story could only happen in Between, Georgia!" I guess I get this effect more or less in all of Joshilyn Jackson's books, and it either eases up by the middle of the book or I just get used to it and stop noticing. I think her later books are a little less in-your-face about it, but I could be wrong. Anyway, I love her books, but I wish she'd relax a little. We'd still get that these people were unique and quirky without it having to be so extreme.

But overall, great story, and I was so glad that (view spoiler)[Fisher was ok after all! I also loved that Henry stole the police cruiser to go after Nonny when he realized that she wasn't going back to Jonno. Yay! Devoted love ftw! (hide spoiler)]["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

17-year-old Lennie is devastated when her sister dies of a sudden heart attack at 19. This book tells the story of her grieving and trying to come to17-year-old Lennie is devastated when her sister dies of a sudden heart attack at 19. This book tells the story of her grieving and trying to come to terms with life without her sister. So sad, so beautiful. But I'd really like to find some books that *don't* make me cry, just for a change of pace.

Two quotes that really got me:

Grief is forever. It doesn't go away; it becomes part of you, step for step, breath for breath. I will never stop grieving Bailey because I will never stop loving her.

--reminds me of U2's "California (There is no end to love)": "There's no end to grief, and that's how I know... there is no end to love." (I still haven't decided if that's incredibly cynical or the opposite, but either way, it makes me cry every time I think about it.)

I try to fend off the oceanic sadness, but I can't. It's such a colossal effort not to be haunted by what's lost, but to be enchanted by what was.

**spoiler alert** Started this because I needed something to read at the muffler shop, and Open Road Summer was making me cry too much. Oops! If anyth**spoiler alert** Started this because I needed something to read at the muffler shop, and Open Road Summer was making me cry too much. Oops! If anything, this one is even worse for the crying. Sad shit happens AND there's very devoted love. If something good doesn't happen soon, it's going to have to go back. I can't take all this crying.…

This was a really emotional book for me. It begins with a car wreck that kills April, wife to Charlie and mother to Sam. Isabelle, the driver of the other car, feels horrible, even though the accident wasn't her fault. She ends up improbably entangled with Charlie and Sam as Sam thinks she's an angel who can help him talk to his mom one last time, Charlie falls in love with her, and she falls in love with both of them. But Charlie can't let go of April, and he blames Isabelle for Sam's worsening asthma and basically throws her out of their life. She moves away, starts photography school, and eventually begins building her own life, when Charlie finally finds out where April was going that day, and is thus able to get over her. So then he goes looking for Isabelle, but it's too late. Even though they both still love each other madly, she carries on with her new life without him. It's the self-respecting thing to do, but it still seems very sad to me. It seems unfair, both in real life and in books, that people who love each other that much still just can't work things out sometimes. Bah. But that was certainly more real than if she had gotten back together with him and they had lived happily ever after. I wish guys would read books like this and see that they need to appreciate their awesome girlfriends while they have them, not years later when it's too late, but that doesn't seem to be how it works.

Anyway, great story, and I found the front cover completely irresistible. The only thing I didn't like is that the ending felt really sudden. We spend a couple hundred pages on the wreck and a few months following it, seeing every detail of Sam, Charlie, Isabelle, and their lives, and then suddenly it's a few pages for moving to New York, we meet Frank, skip ahead five months, a few pages for that, and then Sam is 30! I'm glad he learned what he needed to learn from the whole thing, and maybe we had to skip ahead to get to that part without the book being 10,000 pages long, but it felt rushed to me....more

Best friends, following a huge dream and making a great success of it, young love… this book has a lot of great stuff. It made me cry so much, though!Best friends, following a huge dream and making a great success of it, young love… this book has a lot of great stuff. It made me cry so much, though! Not really because a lot of bad stuff happens in it; more because I envied the good stuff.

Don't be fooled by the title--this is an example of the marketing truth that people will buy what they want, not what they need. If the book had beenDon't be fooled by the title--this is an example of the marketing truth that people will buy what they want, not what they need. If the book had been called "How to Be Your Best Self--i.e., Your YOUest You!" I would have passed it by. But that's what it's really about. Becoming irresistible to men is a likely side-effect of doing that, but more importantly, you'll love yourself and your life. Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about!

I think this book has pried me out of the last dregs of my depression. At least, I hope so. This could just be a brief bubble of happiness--can't tell from here. But either way, it felt really good to read, and surprisingly, it reminded me of a bunch of helpful spiritual stuff. And it offered the idea that everything can be easy. That is, if you notice something about yourself that you don't like, you don't have to pick at it and write a thousand journal entries about it and try to figure it out and try to retrain yourself to stop doing it. You can just notice it without judgment and let it go. So enticing! I hope that's really true.

The only part of this book that I found myself really resisting is the chapter on appearance. Obviously, if you go around all smelly and grubby and dressed like a slob, that's plenty resistible. She's clearly right about that. But still, I don't like the advice to dress better and wear makeup. Blech!

I think I'll just let that part sit and see if it starts appealing to me later. The thing is, pretty much every guy I've ever been involved with has liked me in my natural state, and I really like that. No way I want to start wearing makeup to catch some guy, and then have to keep wearing makeup because he expects it. Fuck that! But I have been noticing that most other people look nicer than me, as far as what they're wearing and how dressy they are. I've also noticed that I feel a whole lot better about myself when I wear jeans that fit and shoes that I like, and when I have a good haircut and use the good shampoo. Maybe if I got some boots, I could look prettier without my feet being cold, and then everyone would be happy.

Notes:

p. xxi "In my experience, when you become aware of a behavior that's been getting in your way and simply notice it--without judging yourself for what you discover--that behavior melts away on its own. ..."p. xxii"Adopt a gentle, inquisitive approach to self-discovery . Be innocently curious. When you see something about yourself say, 'Oh… interesting' or 'Huh, look at that.' Simply observe what exists without trying to change it."

p. 10 "Everything is as it should be" -- "In short, here's what making is-ness your business means: engage in your life with enthusiasm exactly as it is, regardless of your likes and dislikes, your preferences, ideas, beliefs, and opinions about how things should be or could be. Unconditionally allow things to be as they are. When you deal with what is, or your is-ness, you can then choose who you'd like to be in relationship to that." (p. 12) "For the next 24 hours, make is-ness your total business. No matter what happens…pretend that you wanted it to happen. You can even say 'And this is what I want!' after any circumstance that your mind wants to resist."

p. 25"Build your irresistible lifestyle muscles by following these three steps:"1. Practice neutrally observing what you feel. Acknowledge your emotions. Tell the truth. Report your inner reality without adding a layer of drama or victimhood over it."2. Allow yourself to really feel it without trying to make the feeling different than it is or attempting to get over it. Experience the physical sensation. Watch what's happening on an emotional level without getting lost in the mechanical thoughts triggered by your mind."3. Keep bringing yourself back to this moment and respond (not react) from there."

p. 39"This is it."--now is all there is. This one (whatever it is) counts.

p. 72 "Who you are being makes all the difference in the world when it comes to authentic irresistibility." (emphasis the author's) Be real! Be yourself, as fully as you can.

p. 112"Get a life and keep it"--"Try including your romance into your already existing life. Expand your world. Don't shrink to fit his." By continuing to do what makes you awesome, even though you want to be with him 24/7, you stay awesome and the magic stays alive in the long term....more